Variation of soil microbial biomass carbon,soil microbial biomass nitrogen and nitrogen mineralization potential in different soil types on the Loess Plateau
Abstract:Studying soil microbial biomass carbon (BC), microbial biomass nitrogen (BN) and nitrogen mineralization potential (N0) has significance for evaluating the nitrogen supplying capacity of soil. We measured BC, BN and N0 of four main soil types on the Loess Plateau: Eum Orthic Anthrosols, Hap Ustic Isohumisols, Los Orthic Entisols and Ust Sandic Entisols. Soil samples were collected from the surface of twenty-five locations. The chloroform fumigation extraction method was used to measure microbial carbon and microbial nitrogen in the soils. A long-term alternate leaching aerobic incubation method was used to measure nitrogen mineralization potential of the soils. The results indicated that there were significant differences in the BC, BN, and N0 among the soil types. The values of BC, BN, and N0 declined as the sampling locations moved northward from the Guanzhong plain to the sandy regions in northern Shaanxi Province. The values of BC, BN and N0 were highest in Eum Orthic Anthrosols, intermediate in Los Orthic Entisols and Ust Sandic Entisols, and lowest in Hap Ustic Isohumisols. The values of BC averaged 305.2 μg.g-1 for Eum Orthic Anthrosols, 108.4 μg•g-1 for Hap Ustic Isohumisols, 161.7μg•g-1 for Los Orthic Entisols and 125.4 μg•g-1 for Ust Sandic Entisols. The values of BN were 43.8 μg•g-1 for Eum Orthic Anthrosols, 20.3 μg•g-1 for Hap Ustic Isohumisols, 26.0 μg.g-1 for Los Orthic Entisols, and 306 μg•g-1 for Ust Sandic Entisols. The values of N0 were 223 μg•g-1 for Eum Orthic Anthrosols, 75 μg•g-1 for Hap Ustic Isohumisols, 163 μg.g-1 for Los Orthic Entisols, and 193 μg•g-1 for Ust Sandic Entisols. The mineralization rate constants (k) were highest in Hap Ustic Isohumisols, intermediate in Eum Orthic Anthrosols and Los Orthic Entisols, and lowest in Ust Sandic Entisols. The mineralization rate constants were 0.039 w-1 for Eum Orthic Anthrosols, 0.044 w-1 for Hap Ustic Isohumisols, 0.031 w-1 for Los Orthic Entisols, and 0.019 w-1 for Ust Sandic Entisols. The differences of BC, BN and N0 among most soil types on the Loess Plateau result from the effect of soil forming factors such as climate, topography, parent material, and living organisms. The latter factor includes human activities such as the application of organic fertilizer and the reshaping of the land form through the construction of terraces. This paper provides a reference and guide for analyzing the processes affecting soil fertility on the Loess Plateau.